The Music of the Games: A Collection of One-Shots
by Theloveliestchaos
Summary: Songfic; A collection of One-Shots told from by the tributes themselves. Some will win, some will lose, and some were born to sing the blues.
1. Shauna Morales: Forever & Always

Forever & Always by Taylor Swift (2010)

Shauna Morales (17), District 2 Female

I sprint as fast as I can through the thick jungle air, feet tangling with the roots of massive rubbery trees. At this point, I can't tell if I'm covered in condensation or sweat. It's probably a sour mixture of both. Even though I know I shouldn't be concerned, I heard his yell. The pained scream caused my blood to freeze, so full of terror that I just have to know if he's okay. The ensuing cannon is what has me so worried. I've never been worried in this arena, or quite frankly ever; I guess the arena really does change people.

_It rains in your bedroom, everything is wrong_

In my hurry, I left all my supplies behind. It shouldn't matter anyway- now that someone else has died, I'm in the final 5. All I have left is my bloody dagger. _The dagger that he gave to me. _Suddenly, I slip on the mossy undergrowth and slide down an incline on my back. The jungle was fairly flat, so since when does this part exist? Is it possible that the Gamemakers are altering the arena's terrain? Are they trying to bring me to him, or his killer, or what? _Shut up Shauna, you are not helping yourself at all. _As a child, I was raised in the academy like most other kids from Two. Grades didn't matter, and all my life has ever been focused on is winning the Games. I never had a reason to ask questions, or worry about the future. Now, the future is all I can even think about. As I skid to a stop, my muddy brown hair, frizzy with heat, flies up around me. _I wish this rain would stop_. Then again, he loved rain. Or at least, so I thought. I _thought_ he loved a lot of things.

_It rains when you're here and it rains when you're gone_

We decided not to join the career pack this year, for they were all idiots. Marcel and I, both scoring a 9, were by far the most dangerous pair in the arena. That was until the 6th day. The day that we made it into the final eight. He said he would take watch, and I fell asleep watching his beautiful face. When I awoke, he was gone; so were most of my supplies and heart.

_I was there when you said forever and always_

He did. He told me he would always protect me. That liar, he had planned all along to do this to me. Should I be happy he is dead? _No, he is probably just protecting you._ What if he isn't even dead at all? My emotions are beginning to consume me. I felt nothing when I slit the throat of the girl from 3. If I felt anything at all when I shoved the axe through the boy from 8's head, it was glee. As a career we are trained to force our emotions down. Like a volcano, I can feel mine beginning to erupt. With that, tears begin to flow down my face and I sob until I can no longer produce tears. Why did he have to go? The only reason for my volunteering was to get to know him, the golden boy, better. He only wanted me as his backup. I am beginning to feel a new emotion now.

Hate.

_But did you mean it baby?_

Suddenly, the grasses ahead of me part and a tall, lumbering figure wielding a longsword runs through. I quickly slide the dagger up my sleeve and turn to face my adversary. I am shocked to see Marcel's bloody but beautiful face only inches from mine. He grins, but my heart refuses to flutter. Why not turn the heat up in this arena before the Gamemakers decide to?

"Shauna!" he exclaims, "I've been looking all over for you! Are you ready to win this?" If I didn't know any better, I'd think he was being sincere. He'd discarded his sword a few feet behind him, and was rushing towards me to embrace me. I can now clearly see the cause of his scream; he has a long, bloody gash stretching down the side of his face. While it is bleeding slightly, it is a shallow cut and does not appear to be serious.

"I've been looking for you too." I respond sweetly, purposely avoiding the last question. I have no reason to win, for I didn't volunteer to come out alive- at least, not until ten minutes ago. I mean, I could win for the glory of my district, but the victors say you truly never do leave the arena.

"Great. Now let's go down this trail to the lake. I think the remaining tributes will be drawn-" He starts, clearly going back into the unreachable, tactical sector of his mind that I'm not allowed to pass into. I hadn't even realized it existed until he left and I saw through his façade.

"Marce, I had a different idea in mind." I say with a seductive wink. I can't allow him to go all robot on me, so I guess I might have to appeal to his boyish side. He begins to smile wickedly and hungrily, meaning that my plan is working. "Now close your eyes and count to 10. The Capitol is about to receive a good show." All men must truly be filthy pigs, because he complies without saying a single word. News flash, horn-dog: this is the arena, the place where those with trust die. Well, I guess not- I'm living proof that's not entirely true.

_I don't think so_

He sits cross-legged on the ground like a 10 year old newbie in the academy. I gently shove him into the ground, landing on top of him. I can see him peeking at me, a little disappointed my shirt only has two lose buttons. Suddenly, I force my knees into his hands, drawing a sharp gasp from him.

"I don't think you realize what is truly going on, do you?" I say playfully. He looks perplexed but remains quiet. "Whatever, I'll explain to you in Hell." His eyes shoot completely open, but before he can fully comprehend my statement I am wielding my dagger, plunging it deep into his chest. His eyes roll back in his head as blood immediately flows from his mouth. As I twist the dagger, he screams in agony, causing more blood to ooze from his body. I then pull out my dagger, carving a small hole in his chest. There still hasn't been a cannon, but that just allows me to make him suffer longer. Unfortunately, his screams are gradually transitioning into moans. Using my blade, I rip his still-beating heart straight out of his chest. He stole my heart and broke it; it was simply my turn to return the favor. Finally, the cannon booms, and Marcel Young is nothing more than the corpse that receives 5th place.

Wiping off his blood on my pants, I look down at my dagger while still sitting on his corpse. I can actually make out my reflection in the blade; I can see a girl with long, dark red-brown hair and brown eyes. _Wait, since when is my hair red?_ She isn't the girl who seduced half of Panem during the interviews, nor the girl that was a proud, strong, murderous career. This girl is nothing more than a measly tribute, looking worse than the girl from 12 that was cleaved in half. Then, I realize that she is me. The only thing I've never wanted to be labeled as is a tribute. I'm a career, and that's that. But looking at both the dead body under me and my own reflection, I can see that in death, status doesn't matter. It doesn't matter how hard you try to be remembered and make a difference; you die a tribute and nothing more.

I'm an evil, murderous bitch. I'm in the final four, and though the trainers back at home would be happy at my success, I don't see how the hell they could call the demon that I am "success." I let out a hollow laugh, realizing how big of an idiot I am and always have been. Before I even know what I'm doing, the knife that just claimed my partner's life is buried deep within my neck.


	2. Gabrielle Carlton: Hate Me

**Hey guys! So, my last POV was mostly psychological, with some action in the end. These will mostly be from careers, as I feel like they have the largest variation in back story. One big thing I would like to point out is that these stories operate under the assumption that Katniss never existed and Peeta somehow won his games. From now on all of the POVs will mention the eventual victor, some being the main character and others not. Today's chapter contains much more action, and no, not all of the POVs will be female. Enjoy!**

**-Chaos**

Hate Me by Blue October (2007)

_The one thing that always tore us apart is the one thing I won't touch again_

The 76th Annual Hunger Games: Gabrielle Carlton (18), District 1 Female:

My eyelids flutter open as I stretch my stiff muscles. I recoil, blinded by the harsh light that my eyes are not adjusted to. Squinting, I roll onto my side, putting down my wrist to push myself up off of the ground. As I get ready to push myself off the ground, pain explodes through my wrist and I fall back to the ground. Throbbing with every movement, I bring my wrist closer to my face for another examination. A long gash stems from my palm all the way to my bicep, coated in dried blood. I turn around, finding my bag is still secure to my back. _What happened?_ I cannot remember anything whatsoever, as to why I am bloodied and battered. I absentmindedly bring my hand up to my long blonde hair, feeling large clumps of mud in it. _Wait, it had been raining last I remember, so why is there dried mud? _ I can tell I've been out for a while, but how long is the true question. Looking to my side, I see that my bow and sheath of arrows is still with me; however, I only have seven arrows left.

Odd. The last time that I counted there was 10.

This year, the career pack was expected to perform exceptionally. Our scores were top-notch, ranging from 8 to 10 (I received a 9 for my excellent shooting skills). The arena we rose up into this year was a large, rocky mountain. We claimed 9 lives at the bloodbath, getting the games moving quickly. Personally, my arrows felled two. However, due to odd weather conditions and treacherous slopes, we couldn't afford to go hunting for other tributes. With only one additional fatality in the following three days, the Capitol grew restless and a massive rainstorm appeared out of virtually nowhere. Our camp was at the mountain's summit, so eventually the surge of water caused the peak to give way. A massive landslide occurred, splitting us up and killing two unknown people. I never saw any of them again, actually. It's been at least a week since that occurred, but only three more have been killed since then and only three careers (including myself) are left in the arena. I have no idea how many are left now; I don't even know why I was unconscious. I pull myself out of my thoughts and stand, leaving my small grove to wander and follow the stream I vividly remember flowing nearby. I am appalled to find the riverbed dry, and decide that I might be able to see a water source by clambering up the rocky slope to my back. Placing my bow over my shoulder, I scale the rocks with great agility. That is, until the cannon booms through the arena.

I have no idea why, but I immediately turn away from the mountain. That's when I see the creatures- tall, four-armed humanoid things with faces that look like carved wood. It would almost be comical if they weren't wielding intricately carved spears. You don't have to be from District Three to put together that those _things_ killed the last tribute and are now coming for me. I calmly reach down to grab my bow, only to realize that there is at least thirty of them and seven of my arrows. Shrieking, I rapidly and carelessly sprint up the slope, irrationally fearing what is at least 200 yards away. That's when one of the spears lodges itself into the rocks just two feet to my left. My "irrational" panic takes over, sending me scrambling up the rocks. All is going well until I reach a cliff that is at least 15 feet tall. With only one usable wrist, there isn't even a slim chance that I can scale the face. Hysterically, I try to fling myself at the top, desperately grabbing for a rock that is far out of my reach. In that moment, flying towards the vast wall that stretches out in front of me, I have a sudden recollection of memory. A flashback immediately occurs in the eternity it feels like I am suspended in the air, trying to get up the cliff.

This happened before, and I know how to get up there.

The long cut on my arm and bruised wrist was from when I had tried to clamber up the wall before. I had slipped when my footing gave way, a sharp rock sliced my arm open, and I must have stumbled into the thicket and fallen unconscious due to blood loss. With newfound determination, I kick my foot out against the wall in order to keep from smashing against it. As I hit the rock, the entire cliff wall gives way, raining down large rocks on me. I run forward as quickly as possible, ducking under a ledge just before a boulder smashes down on the spot where I once stood. A pile has been created, one firm enough I can now continue my trek to the peak.

It is just in time, because as I start up the mound the creatures begin to appear over the hill right on my back. Another cannon fires, and a chill sweeps down my back as I remember how capable of killing these things are. I suck in a sharp breath and sprint up the path, ignoring the sounds of their spears penetrating the rocks just below me. If the peak truly did cave in the storm, I shouldn't be too far away from the summit now. Suddenly, the incline levels out and I am on a flat, muddy wasteland. I can see silvery weapons sticking out of the ground near the center; they are likely leftovers from the Cornucopia we lost when the mountain collapsed. For some reason, I feel unease standing here. I turn around, only to find that the creatures have reached me. However, they are not pursuing me and instead line up encircling the edge of the flat. I hear a scream across from me and the girl from District 6 appears over the edge. She hurls a blade before turning forward. Her mouth forms an o of horror when she realizes just who is standing opposite of her. Suddenly, it all makes sense to me: the mutts were meant to bring us all together for a final battle. Eager to end this hell, I wield my bow, producing an arrow from my quiver. Although I know I cannot get a good shot from this far away, if I could draw her over to the weapons pile I could easily get a fatal shot.

"How's the weather over there?" I shout sweetly. She recoils at the sound of my voice, bumping into one of the mutts that are now lined up behind her. Screaming, she turns around and stumbles to the ground, sliding frantically backwards across the mud to escape the creatures. They don't make any movements toward her but I don't waste a second. I charge at her, drawing the arrow back and locking my aim. However, I had not anticipated just how slick the ground is. Because of this, I find myself doing an awkward shot and stumbling to the ground. The arrow goes straight into the wooden face of a monster behind the girl, and it immediately falls backwards off of the edge. However, a new mutt replaces it only seconds after its demise. She turns to me, perplexed that I shot at a mutt. Obviously she does not realize that I was actually aiming at her. "Attack them!" I scream, hoping to draw her attention away from me. Amazingly, she complies, standing and hurling a knife off in their direction. Although it isn't a perfect throw, the blade sinks into the thing's stomach and it crumples to the ground as she produces another knife. I've used this time to regain my bearings, and as she throws another blade I launch my arrow at her. I'll admit, my manipulation of her was a bit cowardly, but it was frighteningly easy. I guess the games do weird things to people. As I expected, my arrow slides into the back of her neck and a cannon immediately booms. I raise my bow victoriously, but it is smashed out of my hand with startling force. It lands at my feet, broken into two halves. I look up at my attacker, stunned, only to find my own district partner is the one that tried to decapitate me. He swings his axe viciously once more, but I dodge easily. Suddenly, he is on top of me and I am against the ground. I reach back to grab an arrow to potentially fight with, but find my quiver to be empty, arrows scattered all over the battleground due to my fall.

"Alec," I hiss, staring straight into the eyes of the boy I trained with. He's both taller and heavier than I am, an expert at melee and close range combat.

"Gabrielle," he says apathetically, completely detached to the situation. I had never foreseen this occurring, ever. Battling to the death with a boy from my district? If I am correct, we are now in the final two together. There is no appeal I can make to him now, no way I can flirt myself out of this situation. My heart sinks in my chest; my weapon is my bow, and how can I win without it?

**So this one ends in a cliffhanger. I'm not sure how I actually feel about it- if you are displeased with this chapter, don't worry, this situation will be resolved. I definitely want more action next chapter; I guess I just got a little bit too wordy. I want to hear your opinions so badly.****If there is a song you would like me to write for, just PM me.****As always, reviews are an invaluable tool to help me improve my writing.****What do you think of Gabby and Alec (Shauna and Marcel too)?**

**Until next time - Chaos**


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